Any cash an inmate has on them when they are booked gets taken by facility staff and held securely. It does not disappear. The money is logged and deposited directly into the inmate's trust account, which is the same account used for phone calls and commissary purchases. So if your person walked in with cash, that money is already working for them inside without anyone on the outside needing to do anything.
For adding money from the outside, the process depends on which platform the facility uses. Most jails and prisons contract with a third party service to handle outside deposits. The most common ones are JPay, TouchPay, Access Securepak, and ConnectNetwork. You can deposit funds through their websites, mobile apps, or at kiosk locations in some areas. Each platform charges a transaction fee that varies by deposit amount and method, so it is worth comparing options if more than one is available for that facility.
To find out which service your facility uses, the quickest route is to call the jail directly and ask how to put money on an inmate's books. They will point you to the right platform. Once you know the service, setting up an account takes just a few minutes and deposits typically post within one to two business days, sometimes faster.
Money on the books covers phone call charges, which come directly out of the inmate's account with each call, as well as weekly commissary orders for food, hygiene items, and other approved purchases. Keeping something on the account, even a modest amount, makes a meaningful difference in day to day quality of life inside.